What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?
January 2009, the Soundshell, Wellington Botanic Gardens.
Friday night in the sun with a couple of thousand people in a good mood. Glorious.
What is your favourite NZ venue?
When venues show you love it makes your job so much easier. A good night can become great when you’re made to feel welcome. We can’t choose just one.
What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?
There are heaps of New Zealand bands we love and we wish them all the best.
What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?
We’ve successfully blocked them all out.
How did you come up with the band name Urbantramper?
One of the band members took magic mushrooms and walked around Wellington. The name ‘urbantramper’ was written in the ripples of the concrete footpath.
How do you describe your music?
Future folk.
Future – because we are in a state of becoming and our music is an aural representation of unrealised dreams.
Folk – because we write simple songs that everyone can play and sing along to.
What can we expect to see from Urbantramper over the next year?
We will be playing sporadically around the country and are to release a ‘workers’ EP in March/April 2009. A concept album about working.
What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?
Listen to Jeffrey Lewis’ ‘Don’t Let the Record Label Take You Out to Lunch’.
Be nice to other bands, venue owners, bar staff, everyone…
Listen to the lyrics of Syd Barrett’s song ‘Waving my arms in the air’.
Friends, family and your health are important too.
Related Acts:
About the interviewer Lisa Jones
I’m Lisa, Muzic.NZ’s founder and manager. I also manage the Aotearoa Music Industry Collective as well as the Aotearoa Rock Community and the Gig Space Facebook groups. I’ve been interested in music for as long as I can remember – I grew up listening to my parent’s records and watching the Top 40 Countdown on TV every weekend. I also played the drums and guitar in high school, and wrote lyrics for some of my friend’s bands. I come from a musical background; my Granddad was one of the main founders of country music clubs in Taranaki. Rock is my favourite genre of music, but I enjoy a huge variety of genres from old school hip-hop through to metal, punk, pop, folk and EDM. My advice to NZ musicians’ is to build yourself a great support network, never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and talk to
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